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The test of great winemakers is how they perform in the face of adversity. In sunny, dry vintages like 2023, just about everyone made tasty wine. But success in a challenging year speaks far more; and there’s rarely been a more difficult vintage than 2024. Some winemakers struggled, but others excelled; and Gautier Desvignes proved himself an exceptional talent.
Hailing from the western end of the Loire, just before it flows into the Atlantic, Muscadet is France’s go-to wine for oysters. Walk up to a seafood counter in St. Malo or Cancale to slurp a dozen, and you’ll likely be invited to wash them down with a pitcher of Muscadet. Simple, saline and refreshing, it’s a delicious pairing of like with like, and when you finish it can be hard not to queue up for another six oysters or so.
The 2022 red Burgundies continue to prove themselves to be a terrific vintage. From a warm, dry growing seasons, winemakers managed to craft vibrant and beautifully balanced wines, sporting low alcohol and classic Burgundian finesse. They’re modern in their sunny polish, but traditional in their middleweight, elegant textures.
Not everyone has the budget to fill their cellar with Puligny-Montrachet and other stars of the Côte d’Or. Luckily, the wines of the Maconnais have never been better, or offered more value. Thirty years ago Pouilly-Fuissé brought to mind an over-oaked, over-priced buttery Chardonnay; today the best examples can fool seasoned tasters into guessing Chassagne, and cost half as much.
Florence Cartier continues to steer her family’s Domaine les Goubert with a deft and steady hand. She’s converted nearly all of her plots to organic and has managed to adapt her winemaking style to the blazing hot provencal summers.
For many years we have known the Domaine Gautheron as a low-profile address offering consistently excellent wines in a style that is truly Chablisien. The quality remains exceptional, but the secret is out. Jasper Morris MW calls Cyril Gautheron “a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style.”
In real estate and winemaking, location is everything – and nowhere is this more true than in Burgundy. A few yards difference in vine location can amount to a few extra zeros on the end of the price. Every wine from Vosne-Romanée – the most famous winemaking town in the world – is at minimum worthy of interest. But Vosne is not a monolith, and each corner of the tiny appellation has its own expression.
Wine writer Rajat Parr describes St. Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” Wedged in a valley between Chassagne and Puligny, this town produces white Burgundy with hints of Chassagne and Puligny’s golden richness, but a less stratospheric price tag. St-Aubin has become rarer and pricier like everything else in Burgundy, but it’s still far more affordable than its famous neighbors.
The Hill of Hermitage has been famous for centuries, and with good reason. John Livingston-Learmonth, author of the definitive Wines of the Northern Rhône, calls it “the king of the Northern Rhône,” producing “the most complete and authoritative of all Rhône wines.”
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino – and still a bargain. Italian wine represents a tiny corner of our portfolio, but Piero Lanza’s impeccably balanced wines are some of the most popular in our store. They drink well young, age beautifully, and provide exceptional value.
The 2022 red Burgundies are shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage. Expectations were high from the start: “beautiful and bountiful… very good wines and plenty of them” wrote Jasper Morris. William Kelley called them on release “succulent, suave and charming.” The last year of tasting them in our homes and at the warehouse has confirmed – this is an all around terrific vintage.
Lots of high end red Burgundy is ethereal, subtle, and delicate – but not all of it. Certain towns – Gevrey, Pommard, Nuits-St-Georges come to mind – combine Pinot’s natural grace and elegance with a rich muscly intensity. The result is often dynamic and delicious.
Vincent Boyer continues to steer his family’s Meursault domaine with tact and style. His sister Sylvie joined him a few years ago – her passion is viticulture, and her focus on the vineyards has freed Vincent up to focus on cellar work. Today the frère-et-soeur team is at the top of their game, turning out magnificent wines year and year out.
On a hot summer day our choice of wine is usually white (Chablis/Muscadet) or rosé. But sometimes the moment or meal calls for a red, and we like to be well prepared. Reds served cool have become popular in recent years, but it has to be the right red.
At a time when White Burgundy from the Côte d’Or is both pricier and harder to come by, the Maconnais is a refuge for those seeking top quality wine at a reasonable price. We discovered the Domaine Pierre Vessigaud after reading fulsome praise from William Kelley, and the wines continue to show beautifully, both at the regional level and in Pouilly-Fuissé. Kelley wrote: “Succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s name is worth seeking out.”